Severe Weather Hits South US with Gorilla Hail, Tornadoes, High Winds, Resulting in Power Outage for 150,000

On Wednesday, severe weather brought powerful storms, gorilla hail, tornadoes, and high winds to the South of the United States, leaving over 150,000 to experience bouts of power outage. Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia were among the areas that were within the boundaries of the persistent weather.

South US Severe Weather

Expert weather spotters throughout the South US documented tornadoes, hail, and devastating wind gusts as severe weather ravaged the area. On Wednesday, there were at least ten tornadoes recorded. Eastern Mississippi and western Alabama recorded the majority of the tornadoes.

Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, and Gorilla Hail

On Wednesday, there were 321 reports of wind from Texas to Florida. Roughly 17 miles east of the Arkansas-Mississippi state border, at Cleveland, Mississippi, an 82 mph wind gust was recorded.

The South saw a substantial quantity of hail from the storms on Wednesday.

A 5-inch hailstone was recorded at Brooksville, Mississippi, which is located just west of the Mississippi-Alabama state boundary. One of the biggest hailstones to be recorded in Mississippi is this one. On Wednesday, many reports of 4-inch hailstones came out of Arkansas. The supercell thunderstorms on Wednesday look to have been among the storms that have produced the most hail in Arkansas meteorological history, according to the National Meteorological Service in Little Rock.

Thunderstorms: Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma

AccuWeather meteorologists have pointed out a high-risk area from southwest Kansas across the northeastern Texas Panhandle and western and central Oklahoma as severe weather approaches the southern Plains late Thursday and into Friday. Large hail, severe winds, numerous lightning strikes, flash floods, and sporadic tornadoes can all be released by thunderstorms.

Hail: Arkansas, Texas

The Storm Prediction Center recorded over 100 reports of damaged hail as a result of the intense storms on Wednesday. Numerous hail reports, particularly from Arkansas, were received.

On Sunday night in Texas, a father and son team dressed in helmets and made the most of the hailstorm. The father took several huge hailstones and threw them to his kid, who was holding a baseball bat under a roofed porch, FOX4 reported.

On Sunday evening, strong storms passed across the Highland Village region, which is situated just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, according to the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth, Texas, which reported via AccuWeather.

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Gorilla Hail: Texas

Reed Timmer, known for being an extreme meteorologist, issued a warning that Wednesday's severe weather outbreak in the Southeast of the United States might pose a hazard of "gorilla hail."

Gorilla hail, despite its name, does not refer to hailstones that resemble real gorillas. However, the phrase does denote a hailstone with a larger-than-normal diameter, GreenMatters says.

In April 2020, while storm-chasing in Texas, Timmer coined the term, which stuck. The windshield and windows of Timmer's car were destroyed by hailstones larger than 3 inches in diameter during the pursuit, leaving pock marks on the remainder of it.

Hail is formally categorized according to its diameter, with its size being contrasted to a well-known item. Typically, hail can be as little as peas or as big as softballs. A thunderstorm's intensity is closely correlated with the size of the hail, AccuWeather reports.